Review: Hauschka – Abandoned City

Hauschka
Abandoned City
Temporary Residence Ltd.
Street: 03.17
Hauschka = mountaintops. + Rachmaninoff + Woodkid
Props to Hauschka for choosing a quite appropriate album title. When I listened to the album, all I could think of is how great of a soundtrack this would be for a post-apocalyptic movie. Piano is the main instrument, along with computer-generated drumbeats, which are incredibly organic sounding, and various strings being plucked to provide an interesting texture. The melodic changes in the songs are very subtle and can be tedious to listen to on the first try. But after a couple of repeats, I got sucked into the depth of the music. There was an overwhelming sense of romantic loneliness, a contrast that was expressed by major-sounding piano lines against the dark, percussive sounds. Think chiptune, but with sounds you’d hear in an orchestra hall. –Arnold Hsu